In my opinion, the most under-appreciated interpretation of the Condor Heroes mythos. What first caught my admiration was the stunning cinematography, chiefly in the setting of the Mongolian plains and deserts. The long, sprawling shots are replete with sky, sand and cliffs, beautifully complemented by lush costumes and a rousing score. The Mongolian warriors are ruthless, yet arguably heroic, with the conquests of Genghis Khan forming a counterpoint to the wuxia plot. Indeed, the question of heroism and how it intersects with war and fighting is one that repeats throughout the film.
As a bildungsroman of sorts, it is very satisfying to watch Guo Jing -- portrayed as a dim but good-hearted and endearing young boy -- grow into a martial artist in his own right. With regards to the two leads, however, Zhou Xun steals the limelight, with her pitch-perfect performance as Huang Rong. Her acting is pitch-perfect; never overstated, but always subtle, intelligent and sympathetic. The low pitch of her voice is a refreshing surprise, and well suited to her character.
Meanwhile, the choreography was often thrilling to watch; the fight scenes I felt were beautiful, and even creative -- something hard to pull off in what is by now a well-rehearsed genre. Mei Chaofeng, for example, is portrayed with great inventiveness and precision: her Jiuyin Claw movements highly resemble a stylized dance, with harsh lighting used to accentuate her strokes to great effect.
Yet I felt the real heart and charm of the series lay in the elderly characters, specifically the impish antics of Zhou Botong and the raggedy, roguish beggar Hong Qigong. Zhou Botong provides plenty of laugh out loud moments with his penchant for ridiculous games, while the mischievous, "greedy" (only for food!) twinkle in Hong Qigong's eyes is balanced by his kind heart and capacity for mentorship.
There are two things I felt detracted from an otherwise brilliant series. 1) The use of CGI can sometimes be jarring and unconvincing. Then again, I have rarely seen CGI wisely employed in wuxia television series, and at least this series doesn't draw on it too often. 2) The finale feels like it ran out of steam. Without spoiling anything, the ending note is wrenching, but somehow unfulfilling. Is it a good or a bad thing that it left me wanting more? This may have been because of a hasty filming schedule towards the end, as the crew wanted to wrap up before the Lunar New Year. Regardless, I wish they had spent more time and effort on the finale, and cut some of the more unnecessary and long-winded elocution from earlier scenes.
All in all, this series is something I would consider a classic. I've watched it twice and will definitely be re-watching it in the future.
